FT. MONROE MAY BECOME HISTORY

Inside and around this base of quaint brick and sighing trees, people reacted to closure news Friday with resignation lightened, barely, by a spark of hope.When the garrison commander, Col. Perry D. Allmendinger, held a meeting and told troops the fate of Fort Monroe was still in the hands of a higher power, they reportedly gave him a standing ovation.

"As I mentioned to them, this is not a done deal," the colonel told reporters at a press conference later. "Till this thing is executed in law, there is still a chance at life."

But unless Congress or the president intervenes to save it, Fort Monroe will remain in operation for no longer than six years. It survived the Civil War, but may succumb to the bean counters.

The Hampton Club Regatta, the Independence Day party that draws 20,000 people and the outdoor concerts -- Monroe and its events would be literally history, or at least run by someone else.

"I think that it's more serious than in the past," said Al Morrison, who has worked at Monroe since 1984 and now works at its Future Center think tank. "The closing of the Chamberlin (Hotel). The security since 9-11. The closing of the commissary. The PX has become a furniture store."

Morrison believed Monroe's future is in real estate.

"If somebody can come in and develop it, they can make a handsome profit. But it's going to take a lot of money."

Monroe is the Army's only base with a moat, a post built not in response to the war on terror but to the War of 1812. The entire grounds are a national historic site, so new development couldn't be willy-nilly.

Most of the base's military personnel will move to Fort Eustis and Fort Knox. Less clear is what will happen to the civilian workers and contractors. All told, the fort brought $348 million to the area economy last year -- $104 million went to civilian salaries; $132 million to contracts.

Some workers will follow the troops to new bases, provided no one else is doing the same job wherever the uniforms are headed. Some will find new government jobs.

Some will not.

During the press conference, Allmendinger said that though it would cost $72.4 million to move everyone, the Pentagon plans to save more than $686 million over 20 years by closing Monroe. That figure doesn't take into consideration the cost of cleaning up the base, which will require an environmental scrub that includes the removal of unexploded bombs buried on the base.

Monroe was built to strengthen a young America's shore defenses. More recently, it has become the home of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, the minds behind how the Army teaches, equips and recruits troops. Despite the moat, Monroe looks more like a campus than a fortress.

One woman who lives on the base with her military husband said she understood the decision rationally, but nonetheless would mourn it.

"Realistically, I see no reason why it should stay open," Lynette Cal said. "Historically, I'd like to see it stay open. Sentimentally, I'd like to see it stay open."

Cal said the lack of a training area made Monroe a tough sell to cost-cutters. But Monroe's genteel, academic aura is tough to put a price tag on.

"Everyone likes the water, sense of history," Cal said. "A lot of people are sad it's on the list."

While the press wasn't allowed to interview anyone during a press conference, officers and civilians privately expressed regret. They wondered why the place couldn't at least become a military-run historical site. In his speech, Allmendinger said he didn't envision any military boot in the door at Monroe if its current commands did, in fact, move.

Via telephone, the head of the Casemate Museum said he wasn't sure what would happen to the facility and its exhibits.

"Today was like a throwaway," Ron Pinkoski said. "When everybody found out, there were a lot of long faces. Some people have been here 30 years, 40 years."

Pinkoski said the fort has been planning new housing.

"We're working along until we're told differently. Just last week, we were looking at plans for new housing and trying to decide whether it will be two stories or three, what would be brick... We'll press on until we get orders to stop."

Down the street, at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3219, an empty chair sat before an empty table facing an empty plate. The tablecloth read, "POW." The sound of fiddle music played beyond.

Inside, the post quartermaster said the Monroe workers he knows think they'll survive the brunt of BRAC.

"They feel we have good politicians in the area, and we'll save it," Joe Longstreet said. "That's the main thing -- let's see what the politicians can do for us."

If the end is truly here, Longstreet said, many workers plan to move. "If they have a decent job, they can go someplace else."

An Army veteran waiting for a cab from a nearby convenience store thought closing Monroe was a bad idea.

"It doesn't seem right to have base closings when there's a war on," George Fritch said. His cap read, "The Price of Freedom is NOT Free."

But he named what may be one of Monroe's image problems.

"I'm an Army vet, but I'm not sure what they do over there." *

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The Pentagon has launched the Base Realignment and Closure process, and its effects are rippling across Hampton Roads.

Fort Monroe in Hampton is one of more than 30 major military bases nationwide that the Pentagon wants to close. Tell us what you think about the base closings at dailypress.com/bracboard

There should be more. Bases like Hanscom AFB and LA Air Station are in prime real estate areas with ineffective missions that can be transferred. Selling that property could benefit the Air Force! -- Submitted by: Chris Boyd

I notice a lot of Reserve training facilities are on the hit list and wonder now that we must rely upon reservists so much, where will they get trained? I also wonder what will we do if there is a need in the future to vastly expand our forces? Where will they be based? How much will it cost? -- Submitted by: John Smith

Its another round in the government's way of doing things that really doesn't make sense when you look at what's happening.... when you add in the cost of cleaning up some of the installations it's just as costly to close a base than it is to keep it operational. -- Submitted by: Ronnie *